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Modern Britain 1900-present day - Coggle Diagram
Modern Britain 1900-present day
Crime
Crimes against the person
Murder - unlawful killing
Assault - physical attacks
Domestic abuse - recognised as a specific crime from the 1960s
Child abuse - became taken more seriously from the late 1900s
Hate crime - race, religio, disability, sexual orientation; officially recognised and legislated for from te 1990s onwards
Crimes against property
Theft - still most common crime; includes shoplifting, burglary, robbery
Burglary - entering a building without permission to steal
Fraud & cybercrime - huge new category; online scams, identity theft, hacking; grew massively with the internet
Drug offences - possession, supply, production; became a major crime area from the late 1900s
Vandalism - destroying or damaging property on purpose
Crimes against authority
Treason - much more rare
Terrorism - emerged as a major threat
Driving offences - speeding, drink/drug driving, no insurance, mobile phone use; grew as car ownership became normal
public order offences - rioting, violent disorder, harrasment
Punishment
Changes in aims
1900s: still largely punishment and deterrence
later 1900s-today: more focus on rehabilitation - trying to change behaviour so people don’t reoffend; also public
Restorative justice - making offenders face the impact of their actions on victims
What changed
Death penalty abolished - 1965 for murder; completely gone by 1998
Prison = main sentence - used much more than before; population grew significantly
Community sentences - introduced as alternatives to prison; unpaid work, probation, curfews, electronic tagging
Young offenders - separate system developed; youth justice system focuses more on prevention and rehabilitation
What continued
Serious crimes still get the harshest sentences
Prison remains the most serious punishment
Fines still widely used
Law enforcement
Police development
1900s onwards: police forces merged and became more professional; better training, equipment, communication
CID - detectives, plainclothes, focused on solving crimes rather than just patrolling
Specialist units - firearms, counter terrorism, cybercrime, traffic, drug enforcement
PCSOS - community support officers introduced in 2002 to help with policing neighbourhoods
What stayed
Police still work with local communities
JPs and magistrates still handle most minor crimes
Changes and continuity
Changes
Death penalty abolished - 1965; no more public or private executions
Prison philosophy shifted - just punishing ^ also rehabilitating; community sentences created
Police became modern & scientific - forensics, DNA, CCTV, computers, national database; way better at solving and preventing crime
Completely new types of crime - cybercrime, terrorism, drug offences, hate crime, driving offences; technology and social change created whole new categories
Victims taken more seriously - better support, domestic abuse and hate crime recognised as serious issues
Youth justice separate - different system for under 18s focused on prevention
Continuity
Property crimes still most common - theft, burglary, fraud always higher than violent crime
Jury trials still used for serious offences
Police still maintain enforcement
Magistrates/JPs still handle minor cases